What She Learned
IHQ Med Bay The new Med Bay is large enough to house all the wounded that could result from battles against the Autobots. Near the entrance, there are a series of benches for patients awaiting treatment. Advanced medtables line the sides of the room in symetrical rows while surgery is located within the central area. In the ceiling are several crane mechanisms to assist medics in moving larger Decepticons, each one highly articulated and built to withstand the strain of lifting even Devastator. The room's floor, walls, and ceiling are fitted with forceshield generators to contain those that are too injured to return to duty, possible contaminants, and also are set to automatically engage to protect the room from combat damage. The room is immaculately clean, carries a glossy shine, and always smells of disinfectants, giving off the air of a proper medical bay. To the rear are the airlock doors that lead to the Laboratory. Contents: Soundwave Crankcase Medical Rules Obvious exits: East leads to IHQ Laboratory. West leads to IHQ Central Chamber. Soundwave is watching the gumbies that he put in charge of placing Catechism's pieces onto a large medtable placing in the medical center. It is odd to him that he remembers seeing her in the past....long before she was built but his highly sofisticated processors can understand that temporal paradox. As soon as the gumbies are done, he dismisses them with a simple gesture of his hand. He stands still for a moment, as he looks down at all the pieces and then he gets to work. He starts by putting all the essential components together. After all, he needs to talk to her but he doesn't necessarely need her back at full efficiency...hands? Useless. Cerebral function? Required. Catechism was blown up by Dealer and then stuffed into two sacks by Harrow and Blueshift. (Dealer also blew off one of her hands. It is lost in the PAST somewhere.) Then someone jammed the sacks into Soundwave's mailbox. So waking up like a jigsaw puzzle isn't exactly surprising for her, but she does ache all over, so the first thing she does is groan. Then she sees Soundwave. She groans again. "Oh. Soundwave. My name's not really Evangel. Uhm." Smooth, Catechism, very smooth. Soundwave emotionlessly looks down at Catechism, "Designation : Catechism. You are not in the past anymore. You are back in what you would call : the present." The tape commander complete his work into Catechism's internal by making sure that all her cognitive functions are fully operational. He doesn't fic her hand, nor any damage to her weapons, targeting or hydraulic systems. In fact he even connect a computer to her databank. "Report everything that you learned." He doesn't add anything but it is obvious that he's willing to probe deeply into Catechism's mind if he suspect she's holding any scrap of information. Catechism has a slightly damaged lasercore, from an old wound. It's healed, and she's stable now, but Soundwave might well notice the scars. She considers her situation - in pieces, with Soundwave right there. Even if she wanted to radio someone, he could just jam her. Slag. Note to self: punish Harrow and Blueshift if she survives. Perhaps punish Harrow /with/ Blueshift. "That I... learned? Uhm. Well. Some of my research was confirmed, and I learned to read, write, and speak Ancient Cybertronian..." A dead language, of interest only to historians. Catechism needs better hobbies. No one will be suprised but Soundwave doesn't react to Catechism's comment. "Insufficient data. You will later create a traduction file for Ancient Cybertronian. Proceed to explain what happened at the Dyson Ring and then everything that happened in the past. Focus on Straxus and Alpha Trion's actions. Explain your research." Yeah, Soundwave wants to know everything, every scrap of information. But it is not surprising from an information junkie. He did notices the scar, there is not much that goes unoticed from his well trained senses. Catechism wonder if her handle on the language is actually good enough to teach anyone else. She's not a linguist! But she'll worry about that later. "Okkkay, the start. So we were trying to steal Nebulos, using the Dyson Ring, but it malfunctioned. We ended up on one fo the 'maps' in the rings. I speculate that the maps correspond to past, present, future, and alternate, but that is just speculation. Anyway, Rodimus Prime knocked into the black monolith. Stuff started to get a bit freaky. Shockwave told us not to pay attention," but she wanted to, anyway. "Eventually, it spoke, 'The void that sings has gone silent. The stars no longer speak to each other. The third of twelve is shattered, and the devourer begins to rouse,' and I found myself in Magnaron, in the past. Then the monolith shattered. So I guess it's meant to be the third of twelve... whatevers." She pauses. Soundwave carefully records everything that Catechism is saying...being a tape deck has its perks. "All events until your transportation into the past are known." Soundwave was there, it is him after all who knocked Rodimus into the monolith. Once again, he ponders the meaning of those giant maps on the Dyson Ring but he doubts he will ever fully understand all the secrets of that marvel of technology. Patiently he waits for Catechism to resume her story. Catechism is trying to be complete, okay? She explains, "We got a bit separated. I ended up near a bunch of Autobots. Ultra Magnus made an offer of a truce - if I got information for him, his Autobots wouldn't attack me. Hah. That so did not work out! He didn't even want to listen to anything I had to say, anyway, not that I gave him anything useful." Well. She gave him some snippet of folklore. It happened to be true. Soundwave is monitering Catecism's brain electrical impulses to make sure she doesn't lie to him but he remains still, waiting for her to complete her story. He could tell her that she did the right thing by trying to deal with Magnus but the truth is that he doesn't care, he wants information and couldn't care less about the Autobots at the moment. "Specify those snippets of folklore." Catechism's spirits sink. She explains, "Uhm, ah... there are old stories that obliquely suggest that Straxus was a time traveller. I was hoping Ultra Magnus would go ask Straxus for advice on how to get home, which would remove the Autobot threat from the past. I don't have any information on Alpha Trion, I'm afraid. I never ran into the old buzzard." Soundwave hides his disappointment by doing some more repairs on Catechism. Of course he didn't shut down the pain receptors since that could prevent her from tell him what she knows...and it is also a good reminder of what could happen to her. "This is disappointing. But you did meet Straxus." This is a statement, not a question since he remembers that she met him. Of course he doesn't know anything about Straxus being a time traveller, that could be because he was part of another faction back then... Life is suffering. Catechism tries to focus on the telling, rather than on the pain. Telling a story is marginally more fun than screaming in agony. "Oh yeah. Straxus. He actually had smelting pools and sometimes checked on the smelting pool workers, just like in the stories!" She seems very excited about this. "And he hung his axe above his throne when he wasn't using it, too!" Soundwave forgot about Catechism's enthusiam for history, "I remember that. What did he tell you when you met him? How did he react when you told him you were from the future?" The tape commander does remember that Straxus was very interested in the time travellers but it was so long ago that he fears that he may have forgotten some details... not to mention that Catechism may have information that he never had. Catechism explains, "The Lord Protector," hmm, seems she goes in for Straxus's fancy titles, "was understandably annoyed by the tresspassers in the F... the past. I don't think he minded the idea of us using our knowledge to our gain, but I got the impression that he wanted us gone, more than that. He was looking for the planetary engines. His creation-right." Soundwave nods. He remembers that Straxus was given the Seal of Cybertron by Primus... well at least he remembers that it was rumored that Straxus has it. "Did he try to get any information about his future from you? And do you know why he was looking for the engines." Soundwave can see many reasons to look for them but knowing the exact one could prove useful, "Did he tell you why he wanted you gone?" Catechism would shake her head if she was in any shape to do so. She just sort of twitches, instead. "His own future? No. If folklore is true, he knew his own future. But it's just folklore. I would assume he wanted to find the engines so that he could cruise Cybertron around the galaxy, raiding." That is pretty much what any Decepticon would do, given a mobile planet. "We were trespassers in time. We could have caused trouble." But they could have been an opportunity to change his fate. "It is unknown if those old story are true. Though the information you provided tend to confirm the folklore. But only Excelcius could have confirmed it." This is al interesting but so far those information are not really useful...but still, "So...tell me about his quest for the engines... and about your actions and those of your fellow Decepticons." Catechism thinks that Straxus's fate was more than anyone could ask for - why would he change it? "Straxus was just looking for old computers that has clues in them to the location of the engines. Uhm... I've actually /been/ to the engines. But these things tend to... move. So it's not like my directions would have done Straxus any good. Or would do any good now. Astrotrain was more or less out to screw around with the past, show-boating his anti-gravs and such. Consorted with Shockwave a fair bit. Harrow blended in with Straxus's crew and then turned herself into a man. I have no idea why. Maybe a proto-Americon got to her? Blueshift... really torqued off Straxus. But that is unsurprising." Soundwave comments, "Astrotrain is actually one of the reason that allowed Ibex to make some many technological advances." He listens to what Catechism has to say about the others Decepticons, "Illogical behavior. But not unexpected from them. So that is all you learned from Straxus?" Catechism learned the ethical basis on which Straxis stood; what drove him to conquest. But Soundwave doesn't care about morals, just useful data. Perhaps she even learned something of leadership from his example. A leader of puppets is no leader at all. Power itself is not an end, only a means to an end. None of this matters now. Catechism thinks, and she reports, "That is all, sir." Soundwave silently looks down at Catechism, "Very well. I am expecting a full report from you as soon as the medics are done fixing you. Do not forget the record all your knowledge about ancient cybertronian." Then the tape commander turns his back on her and leaves the medical ward without a word. It is only then that gumbies enter from another door and completes the basic repairs on Catechism.